A new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine showed that there was an heightened risk of developing Type 2 diabetes among post-menopausal women who used a variety of statins (cholesterol lowering medication). Statins are one of the most widely prescribed drugs. They can dramatically lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and have anti-inflammatory effects. Studies make have shown a clear beneficial effect in patients with known heart disease in terms of preventing heart attacks and death.
Interestingly, in this study, the increased risk for Type 2 diabetes was most pronounced in statin-taking women of Asian origin or those with a body mass index in the healthy range. The data from this study confirms data from other studies which had shown an increase in insulin resistance among patients taking statins.
The bottom line is that the decision whether to take a statin has to be made after a careful evaluation of cardiac risk factors. Your Los Angeles Women's Cardiologist